1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to customer displays and more particularly to apparatus and methods for automatically maintaining the viewing angle of customer displays.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern point-of-sale (POS) systems are used extensively in retail establishments to facilitate payment for products and services. These systems typically employ a variety of hardware and software components such as POS terminals at the checkout locations of these establishments. As today's electronic hardware becomes smaller and more powerful, there is a corresponding need to offer point-of-sale (POS) hardware that is more compact and occupies as little counter space as possible.
For example, one growing trend is the use of flat displays, such LCD panels, at the checkout area for use as the clerk's display device. A related trend is to mount a customer display device on the back of a clerk's display device. This is an effective way to shrink the footprint of a POS terminal to efficiently utilize space. This is also a good location from the customer's point of view because it places the display high enough to be seen over ledges, barriers, or other obstructions on or around a checkout countertop. It also makes the display easier to view by placing it closer to the customer's eyes. Furthermore, positioning the displays back-to-back is often the optimal arrangement for many retail and food service checkout counters.
Typically, a clerk's display uses a pivot hinge to enable adjustment of the display to an optimal viewing angle for a range of user heights. The viewing angle of the clerk's display may be adjusted many times a day as different clerks take turns at the checkout counter or change shifts. However, this also typically changes the viewing angle of the customer display. Because this angle is frequently changing, the customer display is often positioned at a poor or less than optimal viewing angle. Further, it is impractical to expect a clerk or customer to constantly adjust the customer display to a more optimal angle.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed is an apparatus for automatically maintaining the viewing angle of a customer display when adjusting the viewing angle of a clerk's display. Ideally, such an apparatus would be simple, have few moving parts, and be adaptable to a wide variety of display types.